Major Takeaways

When it comes to the SAT revisions, a fair amount of the content and structure has remained intact. However, there are a number of changes to be aware of, especially since many of them were influenced by the Common Core curriculum.

First, the original 1600 point scale has returned, simplifying matters by making the Essay section now completely optional. Another major change came in the Vocabulary section. A common complaint about the old SAT Vocabulary section was the frequent testing of obscure words in context.

Unless students were fond of using the thesaurus, the word selection often tripped kids up badly. The new Vocabulary section was completely retooled to focus on more practical words that can be easily defined based on a presented passage’s context.

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The Math section has been expanded as well. Much of the same subject matter remains, however, there is additional content covering Trigonometry and Geometry. A greater emphasis on testing practical concepts in areas like Geometry and Algebra defines much of the new test’s focus on preparing students for college and postgraduate careers, instead of more esoteric subject matter.

Again, this revision falls clearly in line with the Common Core curriculum standards that the United States has adopted over the past decade; these standards also played a clear (if officially unacknowledged) role in the SAT redesign. Another notable change is the inclusion of a “No Calculator” section now.

One new benefit that should be noted is the elimination of guessing penalties. In the past, the SAT would penalize you a quarter point for guessing on answers. Naturally, this penalty caused unnecessary stress on students already trying to master the tested material as much as possible. Thankfully, the redesigned SAT eliminated this penalty entirely, allowing students to breathe and take a chance if they aren’t one hundred percent sure on a question.

Another significant change is the inclusion of passages in the revamped Writing section. While the old SAT previously had none, the new one now includes them, as well as emphasizes the importance of data analysis and interpretation. Again, this is a Common Core-inspired adjustment that, in theory, is designed to assess a student’s critical thinking skills by testing their ability to analyze and draw conclusions from the presented data.

Data analysis and interpretation remains the biggest content adjustment between the old vs new SAT and deserves special attention when preparing to take the test. If you are a student, or parent of one, that has trouble with interpreting data points, drawing conclusions, and other associated skills then those should be a high priority during your preparation process.

Another sidenote to be aware of is how colleges and universities assess SAT scores during the admissions process. Many schools today will “superscore” your SAT results, meaning they accept multiple SAT test scores and take the highest scores per section to assess your overall performance.

Because the new SAT has only been around since 2016, it took time for schools to adjust to the changes and how they affected the scores. However, be aware that most schools today will not superscore between the old SAT and the new SAT. They will likely only superscore test results from the new SAT only.

For many students today this will likely not be a serious issue, but it is important to remember for anyone graduating before the Class of 2018. Other than that, be aware of how the SAT has evolved and what areas you will need to address that previously weren’t an issue before.

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Clay Cooper

Clay is a double-perfect scorer - within one week, he earned a 1600 on an official SAT and at 36 on an official ACT! Clay has also achieved 99th percentile scores on the PSAT, ISEE, GMAT, GRE, and LSAT.
He has taught and developed courses for high school, college, and graduate-level standardized tests extensively around the country, and specializes in the field. He has studied law at Georgetown University Law Center and worked in the legal field as well, for attorneys, judges, and the Tennessee Attorney General.

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